Always and Forever
by Scarlett's Tara
Summary: It briefly crossed Santana's mind that Brittany was in Hufflepuff and may not even come from a pureblood family. But then Brittany was giggling and Santana found herself not caring in the least what kind of blood Brittany had as long as the quirky girl would be her friend. Four vignettes highlighting moments in Brittana's time at Hogwarts.


**AN: A few little moments out of Brittana's time at Hogwarts. Not really set in a particular time and no other characters are involved so it doesn't really matter. Probably some time before Harry's time since there are still mentions of purebloods and all of that.**

**Just for fun. Essentially complete but I might add a little interlude that was another idea I was going to put into their 5th year but didn't end of fitting with the story. **

**Enjoy!  
**

**First Year **

"Are you okay?"

The dark-haired little girl jumped at the voice, pulling her robes tight around herself as she looked up to see who had found her hiding spot behind a stone gargoyle. The face that met her eyes had to belong to an angel. She had never in her life seen eyes that blue and they were focusing on her with this look of genuine concern.

"You're Santana, right?" The angel was sitting down next to her on the cold floor. "We're in Transfiguration together."

Santana chanced another glance up and realized that her companion was not a heavenly creature, but rather a girl she recognized as the blonde from Hufflepuff who looked like a lanky puppy that had not yet grown into its limbs.

"I'm Brittany if you didn't know that," the other girl continued. "I hope I'm not being a bother. My mum always says I need to mind my own business, but I'm not very good at that, especially when someone is crying."

Black robes came up to scrub at her cheeks. "I'm not crying."

"Really?" Brittany frowned, confused. "Because your eyes are sad and red and watery like mine get when I cry."

Santana couldn't imagine this chatty girl ever crying.

"It's okay if you're homesick," Brittany assured her. "We've only been here a week and I already miss my baby sister like crazy. Lucky I got to bring Lord Tubbington with me so that makes it better."

Homesick wasn't exactly the word that Santana would use to describe how she was feeling. Sure, she had never spent more than one night away from home in all of her eleven years and it was weird not having her parents around to hug her and tuck her into bed. But that wasn't enough to drive her to tears. It was more the fact that she had never been so lonely in her entire life. She had looked forward to coming to school since she was old enough to understand that it was the place to learn how to do magic, but she never thought that it would be so hard for her to make friends. Half of the people in Slytherin kept to themselves, the other half were mean, and she hadn't yet figure out how to fit in.

"Who's Lord Tubbington?" Santana asked, trying to draw the conversation away from the fact that it was the middle of the night and she had been crying in a hallway.

"Oh! He's my cat!" Brittany exclaimed in a loud whisper. "You'll have to meet him sometime."

"That's a funny name for a cat."

"He thinks he's a king and his BMI is in the dangerously obese zone so I think it suits him," Brittany explained.

Santana nodded in agreement. That did make sense.

"Hey." Brittany leaned into her personal space with a conspiring expression. "Do you want to sneak into the kitchen with me? That's where I was going when I found you."

Santana looked at the other girl in awe. She looked way too innocent to be wandering around the castle at night during their first week at Hogwarts in search of a midnight snack. "Won't we be caught?"

The blonde head shook back and forth with assured confidence. "I overheard some fourth years talking and they said that the house-elves will make you whatever you want! And I even know how to get in – you just tickle the pear."

Absolutely confused, Santana continued to stare at the other girl until she was pulled up by the hand and dragged down the passageway.

Brittany suddenly made a sharp left turn and they stopped in front of a still-life painting. With the same sureness she had been exhibiting all night, Brittany reached out to run her finger across the pebbled yellow paint that formed the shape of a pear. The painting swung forward, and suddenly they were surrounded by the organized chaos of a kitchen that prepares food for the masses every day.

"Young misses!" A shrunken elf that was presumably female suddenly addressed them with a curtsy. "How may I serve you?"

Brittany giggled and, to Santana's shock, curtsied right back. "We were just looking for a midnight snack."

"But of course! Sit, sit!" The house-elf ushered them over to a makeshift table and suddenly three other elves surrounded them and offered an assortment of cakes, pastries, and sweets.

The way Brittany's eyes widened at the attentive service made Santana suspect that she didn't have a house-elf at home. It briefly crossed her mind that Brittany was in Hufflepuff and may not even come from a pureblood family. But then Brittany was giggling and sipping her tea with a pinky stuck out dramatically and Santana was drawn back into the present.

With a grin, she lifted her own cup to tap it lightly against the Brittany's in a toast, not caring in the least what kind of blood Brittany had as long as the quirky girl would be her friend.

* * *

**Third Year **

"Found you!"

Santana was nearly knocked off her feet as her body was tackled from behind. She did lose her grip on the trunk that she had been attempting to lift onto the train and it crashed back to the ground. Luckily the latch on it was secure enough that her possessions weren't scattered all across the platform.

"Opps, sorry. Let me get that." Brittany leaped across her and started to lift the heavy trunk into the storage compartment. "Wow, this is way heavier than mine was."

Her heart still pounding a little from the surprise attack, Santana finally got a good look at her best friend. It took her a minute to get past the muggle clothes that Brittany was wearing – the girl had grown up with muggle parents and yet somehow had put together an outfit that included stripped socks over bright orange leggings and a hat that made her look like a writer for the Daily Prophet. The hair that peaked out from under the hat was lighter than Santana remembered and spoke of days in the sun.

"There!" Brittany exclaimed once Santana's trunk was secure.

Santana's thanks was interrupted by the sharp whistle of the train informing them that it was time to board.

"Did you already say goodbye to your parents?" Brittany asked. At Santana's confirmation, she continued, "Great! I got us a compartment. Come on!"

Santana happily allowed Brittany to link their pinkie fingers together and led her onto the train. Over the summer she had really missed the blonde's constant energy and smiles. The silly stories Brittany had included in her letters made Santana giggle, but couldn't come close to this feeling of completeness she had now that she was finally headed back to the place where she could see Brittany every day.

"Did you have a nice summer?" Santana asked once they were seated across from each other in the compartment Brittany had claimed and the train was pulling away from King's Cross.

Brittany toed off her shoes and kicked her feet up on the bench next to Santana. "Yeah, it was super awesome. We went on a two week holiday to the sea. Ash and I couldn't stay out of the water!"

"You swam?" Santana shivered at the thought. "That water's freezing!"

"Aw." Brittany poked her with a toe. "Such a baby."

With a huff, Santana rolled her eyes, but only got a big smirk back from Brittany.

"Anyways," Brittany continued. "That kid is going to be devastated if she doesn't get a letter when she's old enough. Do you think she has a shot?"

Santana shrugged. "Better than most. Magic runs in families, but I don't know how it works when it just shows up like yours did."

"I hope so!" Brittany wiggled excitedly. "That'd be so much fun. It was weird not doing _any _magic all summer. My mum took away my broom about two days in so I couldn't even practice."

"You were going to practice in a muggle neighborhood? Britt! You could get in real trouble for that," Santana exclaimed.

Brittany nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but I'm sneaky and only did it that one time. Did you get to fly this summer?"

"A bit."

The truth was that she had flown every day. Last year Brittany had made her house team as a Chaser, but Santana tanked her tryout. Playing on the Quidditch team had been her dream for years, but Slytherin seemed to favor size in its players and Santana couldn't even come close in that regard. She was hoping to get fast enough that maybe someone would see her as a potential asset.

"I am so jealous!"

Guilt gripped her chest. "I'm sorry I never invited you to come stay. Um, my parents, well, they didn't...they wanted family time," she finished lamely. Actually they had lectured her on finding the 'right kind of friends' and expressly forbid her from associating with that 'mudblood Hufflepuff.' She may have to follow their rules at home, but there was no way they were going to take away her best friend.

"It's okay, San," Brittany said easily. "I know your parents don't like you being friends with me."

Heat filled her face and Santana hoped that her face wasn't visibly flushed with shame. "If they took two seconds to get to know you they'd see that you're the best friend I could have."

A grin spread across Brittany's face and her toe again poked Santana affectionately. "You're a super awesome best friend too. And I'm starving so I hope I hope my awesome best friend want to go find the food trolley."

"Always!"

The journey passed quickly after that. They munched on treats, sharing stories from the rest of the summer, gossiping about their classmates, and discussing what the upcoming year would be like.

"You should probably change," Santana pointed out as it started to get dark. She had put on her robes before arriving at the station that morning. Brittany may be her best friend, but Santana refused to ride over to the castle with someone dressed in a muggle outfit that ridiculous.

Brittany leaned over and pressed her nose against the window to see out. "Do you think we're getting close?"

Santana nodded.

"I'm so excited!" Brittany exclaimed, jumping up to reach for where her robes were stashed above their heads. "I can't wait for the feast."

Santana opened her mouth to comment on Brittany's never-ending stomach, but stopped short, her mouth still slightly agape, as Brittany started to strip down in front of her. Her face grew hot and she couldn't stop herself from staring. The reaction confused her. This was Brittany. Santana had seen her change before and had even seen her stark naked the time Brittany had gotten it in her head that she wanted to swim with the giant squid.

But Brittany's body had changed over the past three months and it was suddenly the only thing that Santana could see. Although the girl had grown at least two inches over the summer, somehow her legs were now long and graceful instead of gangly and awkward. Her hips had a new roundness and, before Brittany pulled her grey sweater over her head, Santana got a glimpse of a pink bra filled out by breasts that had _definitely _not been there last year.

"Are you listening to me?"

Santana's eyes snapped back up to Brittany's face. "Um, yeah?"

"What did I just say?" Brittany's eyes gleamed with challenge.

After a mental scramble turned up nothing, Santana had to admit, "Sorry, I just spaced there for a second." She hadn't been doing anything weird. It was normal for her to notice that her friend was attractive.

"Ha! I knew it!"

The train slowed to a halt as they pulled into Hogsmeade Station and Santana pushed back the last of her daze. With a smile, she held out her pinkie to Brittany. "You'll have to tell me later because we're here!"

* * *

**Fifth Year **

"You're going to kill it out there."

Santana's head snapped to the left to see that Brittany had crossed team lines to whisper the encouragement into her ear. She gave the blonde a weak smile in return that certainly did not reach her eyes.

"Pierce!" the Hufflepuff captain barked.

Both girls jumped a little at the shout and Brittany scampered back to stand beside her teammates, still giving Santana that glowing smile.

The fact that Santana would have to play a Quidditch match against Brittany had occurred to her as soon as she had gotten over the elation at having finally made her house team. She had been dreading the inevitable but at least it had come quickly. The Slytherin-Hufflepuff was the first of the year so now Santana had to deal with the nerves of her first game on top of the awkward dynamic of playing against her girlfriend. She just hoped that she could stay on her broom.

The team captains shook hands, but before they took off, the gruff boy who led the Slytherin team yanked Santana aside.

"Lopez, I don't care if you're shagging that mudblood. You play for this house and if I see you taking it easy on her for even half a second, you're off the team. Got it?"

Now even more nervous than before, Santana gulped before giving a quick nod.

He gave her another fierce glare before turning away and taking his position in the line-up.

The shrill sound of a whistle pierced the air and Santana's feet kicked off the ground in an automatic reaction. The still warm September air whooshed past her head, teasing strands of her hair out of her tight ponytail. The loose strands tickled her face as she started circling the game at a distance that allowed her to stay out of the way as she looked for the Snitch.

Keeping one eye on the scrawny seventh year Seeker from Hufflepuff, Santana continued to fly, her eyes sharply focused on her search. However, she couldn't help but be a little distracted every time that flash of blonde caught her eye. Brittany was by far the best Quidditch player at Hogwarts and watching her fly was mesmerizing. The way she weaved in and out of the players and dodged Bludgers looked like an intricate dance, one which she performed perfectly.

The game continued. Santana made sure to switch positions every few minutes to get a different perspective on the field and search for the Snitch as thoroughly as possible. From the cheers coming from the stands and the glances she occasionally spared towards the scoreboard, it seemed that Brittany was still on point this year and Hufflepuff's score was on a steady rise.

After well over an hour of play, Hufflepuff was up 130-20 and Santana was pulled from her intense focus by the piercing sound of the whistle. Confused, she looked around, panicked that the game had ended without her awareness. If the Snitch had been caught and she hadn't even put up a decent chase, she would be off of the team for sure.

"Lopez!" her captain shouted and Santana saw that both teams were flying down for timeout huddles. With a quick turn and a burst of speed, she followed, joining the group between two burly teammates.

Their captain was not happy and started lecturing as soon as Santana made it into the circle. "You are all doing terrible! That team has only has one halfway decent player and she is killing us." Santana felt a burst of pride, but then fear at what he continued to say. "I want all the Bludgers aimed at her and someone blocking her at all times. I don't care if you have to foul. Knock her off that broom for all I care. Just do not let them keep scoring! And Lopez, you had better catch that damn Snitch soon. We will not lose to the House of Losers!"

He ushered them back into the air after that little speech and Santana took off with a new determination to find the Snitch. Santana needed to end this game before the six huge boys focused on preventing Brittany from scoring could do her any lasting damage.

Deciding to try looking for the Snitch a little closer to the players, Santana started weaving back and forth just outside of the chaos of the game. On her second circle around, her constant glances towards Brittany finally paid off. Just above her head was a flash of gold that was definitely not her blonde hair.

Santana's eyes darted to assess her surroundings. The Hufflepuff seeker was on the other side of the pitch and not even looking in her direction. He had no chance. Brittany had the Quaffle tucked under one arm, but was just hovering in the air, the Slytherin team for once doing an effective job of blocking her.

Leaning low over her broom, Santana started diving, urging her broom to fly faster than it ever had before. Her vision tunneled on the Snitch and on the blonde who was still just below it. Santana hoped that she had enough clearance so as not to decapitate her girlfriend as she sped past.

Reaching forward, Santana had flashes on winning the game race through her mind when suddenly there was a shriek and then everything happened at once.

Her fingers wrapped around cool metal just as she was jerked off her broom. She started falling and a Bludger flew over her head so close that it ruffled her hair. Then she landed against an immediately familiar body and their momentum spun the broom sideways until Brittany got it back under control.

"Did you catch it?" Brittany asked her desperately. "You caught it, right? Please tell me you did."

Santana looked up at her in a daze, still unsure how she had gotten from diving for a Snitch to being held in Brittany's arms with both of them balanced precariously on one broom. Her left hand came up between their bodies and she opened her fingers just enough that they could both see the golden ball fluttering in her grip.

"Thank god!" Brittany squeezed her tight. "I wasn't trying to stop you from winning, I swear. But that Bludger was going to hit you in the face. And you have such a pretty face."

A grin started to creep across her face as Santana pieced together the events of the last few moments. "You saved me?"

"Yeah, and almost stopped you from catching the Snitch."

Santana found she couldn't care less about the game. "You saved me," she repeated in awe.

Brittany's flush went up to the tips of her ears. "I wasn't going to let your face get smashed."

Their private moment was interrupted as everyone around them realized what had happened and the whistle was blowing as the green and silver section of the stands started cheering.

"You won your first game. Proud of you," Brittany murmured against her ear and Santana smiled until her cheeks hurt, lifting the Snitch above her head in victory.

Santana had never expected that her first Quidditch game would end in Brittany's arms, but here she was, held in a way that had never felt safer as the crowds cheered for her. Even though Brittany's team had lost the game, the loving look in those blue eyes told her that both of them had just won something.

One of Santana's teammates was yelling at her from the ground and waving her forgotten broom above his head. Brittany readjusted her so that they were both straddling the broom for the descent and Santana suddenly felt hot everywhere when their bodies locked together and strong thighs squeezed her hips. A private after-party with Brittany was suddenly sounding much more appealing than joining her team in the Slytherin common room.

They were back on the ground far too soon and Santana was separated from Brittany as her team surrounded her with congratulatory cheers and firm pats to her back. The smile still didn't leave her face as she accepted the praise from her team.

Before the crowd of excited Slytherins could escort her off of the pitch, she broke free and ran over to Brittany.

"You'll come to the party, won't you?"

Brittany smirked. "I don't know. Will your house let the enemy attend?"

"I won the game for us so it's my party. And I'm not going without my girlfriend!"

Their fingers laced together tightly as they walked back up to the castle, ready to celebrate Santana's victory.

* * *

**Seventh Year**

"Got you!"

Hot, bubbly water splashed over her face, jerking Santana from what had been a peaceful dose in the bath. Sputtering, she mopped the suds off her face before they got in her eyes. Before she could grasp the situation enough to start to get angry, strong arms pulled her securely against a warm, wet body and Santana melted into the embrace with a sigh.

Still giggling about the little trick, Brittany said, "Aw, sorry I splashed you, babe."

Santana gave her mock glare. "No you're not."

"Hmm, well, maybe you deserved it. You were being boring." Brittany softened the statement with a kiss to the tip of her nose.

"I think all that non-boring activity earlier made me sleepy."

"That's what happens when we don't see each other for three months," Brittany pointed out.

Santana hummed her agreement. A summer away from Brittany was far too long. They had nearly jumped each other on the Hogwarts Express before realizing that the windows into the compartments were not conducive to such activities and a threat from the food-trolley witch to make them walk the rest of the way if they couldn't keep their hands to themselves. As a result, they had both been burning with need by the time they made it to school and had skipped the welcome-back feast to sprint to the 5th floor bathroom that Santana's position as prefect still allowed them access to. It had taken until round three for them to even get into the water and as a result Santana was drowsy and had a rather sore back from their vigorous use of the stone floor.

"I'm so glad we're back here," Santana commented after a comfortable pause. "I love getting to see you every day."

Brittany nodded and nuzzled her nose into the wet strands of hair lying against Santana's neck. "Me too."

"I can't believe it's our last year." Santana felt unexpected tears fill her eyes as the realization that the last six years of her life had gone by so fast and had to sniff a little to prevent any from escaping.

Brittany didn't miss a thing. Her head jerked up so she could look at Santana's face. "Are you crying?"

"No," Santana responded defiantly, wrapping her fingers in Brittany's hair as she kissed her in an attempt at distraction.

Returning the kiss for only a second, Brittany broke away to insist, "You totally are."

"Am not!"

But Brittany fixed her with a disbelieving look.

"Whatever." Santana shrugged. "I wasn't crying _crying_. It's just sad that we're almost done."

"Aww," Brittany cooed, looking at Santana like she was the most adorable thing in the world. "The first time we met you were crying because you didn't want to be here and now you're crying because you don't want to leave."

Santana shrugged again and could feel her cheeks heating up yet. The hot water wasn't doing her any favors in controlling the reaction.

"You were so tiny and cute that night," Brittany continued. Then she tilted her head to the side and gave Santana an appraising gaze. "Actually that hasn't changed at all. You're still tiny and cute."

"I am not tiny," Santana retorted.

"Then how come I can do this?" Brittany exclaimed, suddenly gripping Santana by the hips and lifting. Santana's legs wrapped around Brittany's waist automatically, her arms clinging tightly as Brittany spun them in circles around the bath.

Brittany stopped only when they were both laughing so hard neither of them could catch their breath. They leaned against the side of the tub as they recovered, Santana's limbs relaxing a bit but still encircling Brittany. She was enjoying the way the length of their bodies pressed together far too much to move away.

"It doesn't count in the water, Britt," Santana noted, still panting slightly from the exhilaration. Brittany's eyes flashed at that challenge, so she quickly added, "I know you can do it out of the water. You don't need to show me."

Brittany giggled. "I won't right now."

Santana knew that tone well and made a mental note to be wary of being picked up by surprise at some point in the next couple of days.

"Santana?"

"Hmmm?" she responded, her body relaxing again with the hot water, her girlfriend's body, and the spent feeling that only comes after the best lovemaking.

"What are you going to do after graduation?"

"Move in with you I hope," Santana responded automatically. "And then later get married and have lots of babies."

Brittany was silent for long enough that Santana looked up. As soon as she saw the incredulous look on Brittany's face, she realized, "That's not what you were talking about."

"Nope." A huge grin lit up Brittany's entire face. "But I'm glad that we got that part figured out."

Santana couldn't even bring herself to be embarrassed. Instead she asked the most important question in all of this. "Is that what you want?"

"Absolutely," Brittany assured her. "Maybe we can get a flat in London or a cottage by the sea. Oh! Or else a little house on the countryside."

Santana couldn't stop from smiling back at Brittany's enthusiasm. "Whatever you want."

Brittany sighed happily and lifted her head so their lips could meet for a deep kiss. When they broke away, Brittany teased, "You want to have lots of babies?"

That comment finally got her to blush. "Maybe. If I'm having them with you."

Brittany squealed and Santana couldn't help her from staring. Those blue eyes were sparkling, her cheeks with colored by a perfect pink, and even with her hair darkened by the water and hanging in loose, limp strands, Santana was sure she had never seen anything more beautiful in her life.

"So my original question," Brittany said after a moment. "What _job_ do you want to do after graduation?"

Santana chuckled as she thought about the difference between that question and what she had answered the first time. "I might want to be a healer, as long as my NEWTs go well enough."

"A healer, huh?" Brittany mused.

Santana shrugged awkwardly. "It will probably be the first thing that has made my parents proud in seven years, but that's not why I want to. It seems like I could, I don't know, help people." She paused. "That sounds really lame."

"It sounds awesome!" Brittany encouraged. "And I think you will be amazing."

Resisting the urge to duck her head in embarrassment, Santana asked, "What about you? What does the future hold for Ms. Pierce?"

Now it was Brittany's turn to blush with modesty. "You know some Quidditch teams have sent me owls?"

Santana nodded enthusiastically. She was well aware that her girlfriend was being sought out for her amazing ability to fly.

"Puddlemere has a Chaser spot that is supposed to open up by the time we graduate. I might try for it."

"You will definitely get that spot, Britt." Her bias about the girl aside, Brittany was an incredible player and any professional team would be lucky to get her.

Brittany smiled brightly. "I hope so! I'll age out in a few years, so after that I'll have to find something else. I don't care what I do though, as long as I get to be with you."

Leaning forward, Santana pressed a long kiss to Brittany's lips.

"Always."


End file.
